That was a mistake, I guess, going out to California. They have these things called guidance counselors in high school. They drink a lot of herbal tea.

I'm pro-life, in the sense that chaos seems like life to me and order seems like death.

In a regular class I don't focus on the form, but I think that focus is helpful for brainstorming and coming up with ideas quickly, especially with autobiographical material.

After a year, it was great to get out of L.A. and return to Hyde Park. Since my grandparents lived in Hyde Park, I had been coming there since I was a tyke.

Some people tell me they would be afraid of my characters, but I tell those people [that] they meet these characters all the time. They just don't care about them when they meet them, at the gas station, the car wash, the post office even.

There were a lot of beautiful, thin people out there driving nice cars. It was a whole different experience being in L.A.

I enjoy shooting. Around where I live, it's something you do for entertainment once in a while, you go out and shoot targets.